What did Chick-fil-A’s boss really say?

posted at 10:20 pm on July 24, 2012 by Allahpundit

I missed this post from Get Religion’s Terry Mattingly last week when I was on vacation, but it’s making the rounds today and now I’m more confused than ever about why Chick-fil-A is suddenly on the cultural radar. Let me walk through this as I understand it; stop me when I get something wrong. Fact one: Chick-fil-A’s owners are outspoken Christians and are widely known to be so. The franchise actually shuts down on Sundays for the Sabbath notwithstanding the lost profits from weekend business. Fact two: Per Dave Weigel, it’s also no secret that Chick-fil-A’s owners oppose gay marriage. The company’s charitable arm has been hosting events along those lines for years, apparently. Just recently, in fact, COO Dan Cathy said, “I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.’ I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think we can try to define what marriage is all about.” And yet, those aren’t the comments that (initially) got Cathy in trouble. Per Mattingly, these are:

The company invests in Christian growth and ministry through its WinShape Foundation (WinShape.com). The name comes from the idea of shaping people to be winners. It began as a college scholarship and expanded to a foster care program, an international ministry, and a conference and retreat center modeled after the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove.

“That morphed into a marriage program in conjunction with national marriage ministries,” Cathy added.

Some have opposed the company’s support of the traditional family. “Well, guilty as charged,” said Cathy when asked about the company’s position. “We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. …

“We are very much committed to that,” Cathy emphasized. “We intend to stay the course,” he said. “We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles.”

Turns out he can’t quite share his values everywhere, but lay that aside for now. Simple question: Why did a famously Christian guy delivering a doctrinaire Christian take on marriage result in a sudden “awakening” that Chick-fil-A is a famously Christian company with Christian views? Did people somehow just … not know? Or, as Mattingly suggests, were his “guilty as charged” comments taken out of context in press accounts to make them sound more condemnatory of gays than he intended? (His other comments, about God’s judgment being visited upon America for messing with marriage, are far more condemnatory.) I’m guessing that, contra conventional wisdom, a lot of people actually didn’t know of Chick-fil-A’s Christian roots, if only because it’s exhausting trying to keep track of which companies tilt which way politically and ideologically. For instance, here’s a bit from Dana Milbank’s new piece begging Huckabee not to turn this into some partisan/religious cause:

This may be my RINO roots showing but I honestly didn’t know that we were boycotting any of those companies at the end. And, given how Wal-Mart and Target and those dastardly ol’ Kochs are doing these days, I’m also not sure why anyone bothers with boycotts anymore. I suspect one or two percent of people on one side of the aisle care enough about politics to actually participate in a boycott, another one or two percent on the other side of the aisle care enough to react by engaging in a “buy-cott” to offset the boycott, and the other ~96 percent or so can’t be bothered. Maybe this is the next wave of partisanship, as red/blue media preferences spill over into red/blue retail preferences generally, but I don’t grasp the timing. Why boycott Chick-fil-A now instead of the first time they started doing anti-SSM charitable events?

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Comments

Sticking point: SUNDAY is NOT the “sabbath”. Informed Christians know they do not have a sabbath as do those of Jewish religion. Sunday (the 1st day of the week) set aside for local corporate worship.

I cancelled a trip to Boston – they don’t deserve any of my time or money. Their facist mayor is a bigot.

Anyone or any group that has the testicular fortitude to stand up for what they believe in, especially against “bully-ing” groups like the LGBTs who rant against free speech and religion, I will support. I am off to CFA soon for lunch… I couldn’t get in yesterday….so crowded.

You do realize that Chick-Fil-A is a franchise business, don’t you? Just because Chick-Fil-A’s CEO supports “traditional” marriage, that doesn’t mean that every franchise owner does. In fact, many Chick-Fil-A franchise owners have gone out of their way to say that they don’t agree with Dan Cathy at all, and actually support gay marriage.

theoddmanout on July 24, 2012 at 11:12 PM

BTW, Chick-fil-A franchisees must agree to adhere to a strict policy of traditional values. I found out when I applied to work at one this past summer when I was unemployed and desperate for anything. I decided if I had to work fast food, it’d have to be Chick-fil-A, as I support their views. I have family-by-marriage members who work for them, too. I would venture a guess that once corporate finds out about the franchise owners who don’t support the corporate line, they may lose their franchise rights. It’s something they have to agree to at the beginning.

they are very quickly wearing out their welcome and therefore creating enemies of those who couldn’t care less about what they do in their private lives.

Sporty1946 on July 25, 2012 at 7:50 AM

That would be pretty much EVERY conservative. I think the only ones that care about homosexual’s sex lives are the liberals(and homosexuals of course), who want to shove it down everybody’s throat(pardon the pun).

Dang, I wish we had a Chick-Fil-A around here! I’d like to go eat there every day for a week. I know my wife wouldn’t mind that. She loves Chick-Fil-A!

You do realize that Chick-Fil-A is a franchise business, don’t you? Just because Chick-Fil-A’s CEO supports “traditional” marriage, that doesn’t mean that every franchise owner does. In fact, many Chick-Fil-A franchise owners have gone out of their way to say that they don’t agree with Dan Cathy at all, and actually support gay marriage.

theoddmanout on July 24, 2012 at 11:12 PM

Of course you don’t provide any links to your statement…although they are a “franchise” because they fall under SEC rules, they are run much differently than most franchises, more of a partnership with corporate office.
I would doubt if many, if any, refute what Dan Cathy has stated. The success of this operation speaks for itself, the dedication, low turn over, speaks for itself.
The irony is, whatever the liberals would want from an owner, a business, Chic-Fil-A fulfills that better than any other company/franchise in America.

My favorite thing to do after Saturday night mass is to roll my family over to a Chik-fil-A in our Hummer with the Sarah! bumper sticker and family dog strapped to the roof rack. Get ourselves some sandwiches and waffle fries carryout, but leave the kids in the playzone. Set out some lawn chairs in the local strip joint parking lot and wash down our meals with Red Bull and Bud, while cleaning our rifles and plinking pidgeons off the power lines.

I think you’re exactly right. I would think from the block back that most people didnt know. Unlike a lot who frequent this site I dont overly politicize my life and I doubt a lot of others do either. I dont go around asking my bus driver, or mainteance man, or supervisors what their religious/political beefs are. I would think Im in the majority when I would say most of us dont care WHAT you believe as long as it doesnt affect us individually.

I, like a lot of people heard the CEO of this company make his personal beliefs known and I have no problem with his personal beliefs but when he makes them public and makes them the beliefs of his resturants well I dont share those beliefs and thus will no longer support his establishements.

We all have freedom here, I love the way it works. He has the freedom to believe what he wants to believe and I have the freedom to use my dollars to support who I want to support.

I personally feel like people should just keep their religious/political views private when in the public areana. The majority of our day to day actions shouldnt be based on what God you believe in or what party you subscribe too.

I personally feel like people should just keep their religious/political views private when in the public areana. The majority of our day to day actions shouldnt be based on what God you believe in or what party you subscribe too.

IMO

Politricks on July 25, 2012 at 1:05 PM

Everyone has some kind of belief system. They’re never private for anyone. They determine what you say, how you act at work, home, etc., and what your relationships are.

What really bothers me about all of this is that the man didn’t say he was AGAINST anything. He didn’t disparage or insult anyone, he simply stated what it was they SUPPORTED. So if you SUPPORT traditional marriage your business will be boycotted?

This intolerance of opposing points of view is a perfect example of why so many people area turning away from the political left.

I personally feel like people should just keep their religious/political views private when in the public areana. The majority of our day to day actions shouldnt be based on what God you believe in or what party you subscribe too.

IMO

Politricks on July 25, 2012 at 1:05 PM

Everyone has some kind of belief system. They’re never private for anyone. They determine what you say, how you act at work, home, etc., and what your relationships are.

INC on July 25, 2012 at 2:38 PM

Nicely stated, INC.

Yes, basically everyone has a worldview. Your values, or lack thereof, help determine that worldview.